Kayak inventions that (maybe) don't exis

The longer I paddle …
the less stuff I need …



One of the things I like about kayaks are that they are an ancient technology developed by people in the northern waters to travel thousands of miles with as little effort as possible. To me kayaking is not about gear, gadgets and stuff, but about the boat, the blade and the water -dancing on huge swells made by the energy of the sun interacting with the atmosphere thousands of miles from where I am paddling. Lots of thinkers and philosophers have urged simplification. Something I understand the more I do something.

Launch pad?
Northwater makes a launch pad, with multiple other uses:



http://www.northwater.com/html/products/sea_kayak/SKsubdirectory/Four-Play.html



KP

Maybe not quite an invention but an idea
How about a “PADDLEfest” and instead of just boats - all sorts of different makes and sizes of paddles ie euro - standard/small shafts. standards adjustables straight shaft vs bent shafts. gps wood/ carbons This is an area which i could really use more trials as its so expensive to buy and realize its not quite right.

Jam-free skeg box for beach landings.

– Last Updated: Sep-04-11 2:24 PM EST –

After hearing a whole bunch of complaints here a few years ago about coarse sand and fine gravel jamming people's skegs, I thought of one very easy solution to the problem. It might add about 6 or 8 ounces of weight, but not being in the boat-building business, I can't say what it would add to the cost (the labor cost would be worse than the materials).

For what it's worth, here's the basic idea again. The front end of the skeg would mount on a crosswise shaft, about two or three inches long. The shaft could rotate and be supported by a pair of bushings or the shaft could be stationary and the skeg would mount to the shaft via a single bushing. The skeg would pivot up or down by rotating about the shaft, which would eliminate the need for a tight-fitting box to guide and align the skeg (in this case the skeg might need to be a little stiffer than one that is box-supported). Therefore the skeg box could have an internal dimension with a couple inches of free space inside instead of almost none as the normal design has. The opening of the box would be guarded by a pair of rubber flaps to provide fairing over the opening, but these flaps wouldn't need to create a really tight fit since any fine grit small enough get past a "so-so" fit between the flaps and into the box would be within a space that's so much larger than the particles themselves that they couldn't cause jamming or any other problem. Such grit would just settle onto the flaps and get pushed out again each time the skeg was deployed from the fully-withdrawn position, and the flexibility of the rubber flaps would prevent any jamming where the skeg rubs on them. In any case, the skeg box would be easy to rinse out at any convenient time (since there'd never be a need to clean it "right now") by inserting one's fingers between the flaps and letting any accumulated grit simply drop out. With this mechanism for controlling the size of the grit that might enter, skeg alignment could be reinforced by having the free end run between one or two pairs of rubber wheels at the back end of the skeg box (more cost and a couple more ounces of weight for that, of course), eliminating the need for a stronger skeg.

No doubt, if someone were to build such a skeg-mounting system, improvements would be thought of right away.

Camelback UNbottle
On the setback or better on the seat base and back. Been using that for years. Just may need a hose extension. Keeps the weight low and centered.

Sigg
Hey Phelps, you might consider an old-fashioned oval Sigg flask. They’re fairly flat, and sit well under deck rigging. I bought one a while back, and have a neoprene sleeve around it that helps it stay put on deck (it’s actually the foot part of a neo sock that I hated). It looks like they no longer sell the type I have, but a new version is coming out:



http://mysigg.com/store/collections/sigg-steelworks/sigg-flasks/sigg-oval-bottle-flask-4.html

Cycling Mirror
Ditto re. the bike mirrior. I am usually wearing sunglasses (tinted or clear) so these come in handy when kayaking (and cycling) with my wife - who is invariably somewhere behind me:



http://www.amazon.com/Bike-Peddler-Cycling-Eyeglass-Original/dp/B000C17M26/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315175607&sr=8-2

Kayak drink holder
These cup holders are about $2.00 at the evil bigbox sporting goods store.



http://kayak.nrsweb.com/boating/Cup%20Holder



Not compatable with a skirt

“Fred” bottle
Though I don’t usually bother with bottled water, I left home without my usual container and ended up buying a bottle of “Fred” brand spring water at a convenience store somewhere last Spring. The label is pretty hokey (“Fred has his own Facebook page”) but the bottle is great – it’s like a squishy (but surprisingly sturdy) flat gin or vodka flask.



http://www.finewaters.com/Bottled_Water/USA/Fred.asp



I’ve been using it for my hiking and kayaking water bottle of choice for 4 months now – being flat it stays nicely under the deck rigging or slips inside a deck pack. I sometimes get odd looks when taking a slug from it (especially sitting in traffic while driving my car), but I just give a stupid grin and hoist it in a toast like “cheers”, “salud” or “za dorovniya”.



The drawback to Sigg bottles is that they get really hot in the sun.

sleeve
The neo sleeve on the Sigg bottle gets wet immediately because it’s on deck and keeps the bottle cool. The cap sometimes cross-threads however, which I find annoying.



I like that Fred bottle and would buy a few if I could find them. Livingston Manor NY is probably still under 6 feet of water, so their production may be a little impeded at the moment.

From Boston Harbor we set sail…
and the wind did blow in a divvil of a gale

Ring-tail set abaft the mizzen-peak

And the dolphin striker plowing up the deep…


Excellent Idea!
A paddlefest for paddles. Plus a few boats to try out the paddles I suppose.



Maybe a travelling show? All the paddle manufacturers pitch in and we get someone to tour the country with whatever paddles the manufacturers want to show off with costs being offset by the manufacturers themselves.

All you would need is a large van.



Hmmm a new cottage industry and creation of a job or two!



Paul

I like that idea! nm

In boat relief
Red rocket, Check out biorelief.com For the “Stadium Pal”, or the “Stadium Gal”, according to gender.No more stinky bilges or, for that matter,Loosing your place in line at the opening night of the latest Twilight movie.Also seems like it would be far more comfortable than the interior catheter sugestion.

Chris

Mariner sliding seat
Mariner kayaks installed sliding seats in the majority of their kayaks for around three decades. Their sliding seat has a long range and is used to change the center of balance in the kayak. The sliding seat increases tracking in the rearward positions by engaging the keel. In more forward positions, the kayak is faster and more maneuverable at some expense to tracking. Sliding the seat rearward also gave the max space in the cockpit for entry or exit. Very clever design when matched with their sophisticated hull shapes.



Dave

for water…
I read about using a Camelbak under the deck bungees.

Bungees also compress the water bladder so biting on the valve squirts water into the mouth VS sucking it in.

Unbottle ruminations
A Camelback Unbottle or a MRS Hydration kit attached to a Dromedary bag works very well. I don’t like the weight of a hydration system on my PFD at all for long trips. Stored behind the seat a bladder keeps the weight low and close to the center of the kayak.



If you keep a bladder on deck just be warned that it can be torn off in harsh surf. While I haven’t suffered this mishap, Shawna Franklin lost her unbottle from her deck due to violent dumping waves encountered during her Iceland circumnav. Also, in steamy climates like Florida, the water will get very hot, very quickly. Nice for a solar shower but not so good for drinking…



A disadvantage of putting the bladder inside the boat is the problem of what to do with the hydration tube. Freya Hoffmeister drills a hole in the foredeck that makes for a tight fit and just slips the hose through that. I prefer to run the hose up through my sprayskirt and clip it to my shirt so that I can drink hands-free. The risk of doing this is that you might need to spring out of the cockpit quickly, only to fall immediately on your backside because you realized too late that you are tethered to the kayak. An easy solution to this is to install a Camelback quick-release fitting in a convenient spot so that you can disconnect the hose quickly and easily (of course, you still need to remember to disconnect it before you exit).



Greg Stamer

For canoes: a way to kneel that does
not hurt your legs.

Maybe these for knees : )
http://www.proknee.com/



JackL probably does not need these with his new ‘chuck norris’ knees : )

Very cool. Boat $1200, Kneepads $1,200